Delays (Transportation)

News about Delays (Transportation), including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Oct. 24, 2016

Record-breaking number of travelers are expected at American airports this upcoming holiday season, prompting major airport transportation officials to prepare for long security lines and possible delays. MORE

Oct. 14, 2016

New Jersey Transit train that crashed into station in Hoboken has presented beleaguered railroad with its highest-profile test, as concerns about safety and efficiency of its service have become widespread; railroad has been in decline over past seven years of New Jersey Gov Chris Christie's tenure, faced with slashed budgets even as its ridership has increased, leading to regular safety violations and delays. MORE

Sep. 20, 2016

Discovery of backpack containing five explosive devices in Elizabeth, NJ, delays train service on New Jersey Transit and Amtrak and rattles residents; robots sent to defuse bombs accidentally detonate one, but no injuries are reported. MORE

Sep. 5, 2016

Israeli government shuts down key train line for repairs on Sunday, stranding commuters and soldiers ahead of workweek; shutdown is ostensibly due to prohibition on such work during Sabbath, but points to complex political infighting between religious and secular elements of government. MORE

Aug. 28, 2016

Start of eight-year, $8 billion renovation of La Guardia Airport has set off long delays and traffic jams around terminals, causing some travelers to abandon taxis and approach on foot; problems point to extreme difficulty of carrying out renovations without disrupting travel and have prompted some to advise avoiding airport altogether. MORE

Aug. 9, 2016

Failure of electrical equipment at Delta Air Lines facility in Atlanta shuts down its computer systems worldwide, beginning domino-effect of hundreds of canceled and delayed flights throughout day; thousands of passengers are stranded before systems are restored. MORE

Jul. 19, 2016

American Airlines official says 'inordinate amount of coffee maker problems' cause short flight delays; situation indicates how even small issues can portend big problems on modern jetliners; Federal Aviation Administration rules about coffee makers require them to have safety features which protect against onboard fires. MORE

May. 29, 2016

The Upshot; Sendhil Mullainathan and Richard H Thaler Economic View column examines how government focuses on money, but not time, when making trade-offs between budgets and services; notes long airport security lines due to Transportation Security Admin budget cuts as one example of officials failing to make best decision by neglecting intangible cost of wasted time. MORE

May. 28, 2016

Many employees of Transportation Security Administration say anger at agency and its workers over long lines at airports is misdirected, as agency has been denied resources it needs to work efficiently in face of growing number of travelers. MORE

May. 17, 2016

Fire on Metro-North Railroad tracks in East Harlem disrupts train service and strands tens of thousands of passengers during evening rush; remains unclear when service will be restored. MORE

May. 4, 2016

New York City subway ridership has risen to its highest level since 1948, with almost 1.8 billion rides yearly; uptick has led to more overcrowding and delays, as infrastructure has not kept pace; Metropolitan Transportation Authority has approved $14.2 billion for subway as part of $29.5 billion five-year spending plan and is considering other solutions. MORE

May. 3, 2016

Airlines and airports officials warn that wait times for security lines at airports could reach epidemic levels over summer and advise passengers to arrive at least two hours prior to departure; trend is due to increase in number of travelers, combined with updated checkpoint procedures and tighter Transportation Security Administration budget that has forced agency to cut down on number of screeners. MORE

Apr. 17, 2016

News Analysis; airline industry experts say growing number of delays and cancellations of flights are due to dearth of qualified pilots; shortage of pilots has number of causes, but primary reason is that young people are not choosing aviation as career, given job is often underpaid, with poor benefits and scheduling that makes family life difficult to manage. MORE

Apr. 14, 2016

Israeli military's strategy of using pop-up checkpoints and road closings in West Bank in response to wave of Palestinian attacks is significant change from widespread closings and curfews used during second intifada; latest strategy, which focuses on shutting down smaller areas in order to make its effects harder for world to see, has angered Palestinian leaders, who claim it is form of collective punishment. MORE

Apr. 6, 2016

Robbery suspect, whose identity is not released, is recovering at hospital in Elmhurst after being sideswiped by subway car in Queens; mugger attempted to flee crime scene on tracks during early morning rush hour, interrupting service on several lines into and out of Manhattan. MORE

Mar. 2, 2016

Revival of checkpoints on some of Europe's most trafficked transit routes due to migration crisis is causing delays, impeding commerce and threatening to cost billions of euros in lost business, as continent continues to recover from six-year economic slump; critics worry that checkpoints spell permanent end to so-called Schengen Agreement, which allowed free movement of people and products between countries and helped turn European Union into economic powerhouse. MORE

Feb. 3, 2016

Snow and ice strand travelers at start of China's Lunar New Year. MORE

Jan. 10, 2016

Stephanie Rosenbloom The Getaway column reminds travelers that increasingly uncertain weather patterns can unravel even most carefully planned trip; offers tips for both flexible planning and attitude to help ensure a vacation does not end up in ruins. MORE

Dec. 14, 2015

Transportation Department says 87 percent of flights on top 13 United States airlines arrived on time in October, up from 86.5 percent in September. MORE

Nov. 24, 2015

Metropolitan Transportation Authority says sick subway passengers have accounted for 3,000 train delays monthly in 2015, up from 1,800 monthly in 2012; emergency medical worker response can last for more than half hour, causing delays across entire New York City subway system. MORE

Nov. 24, 2015

Bureau of Transportation Statistics says airplanes spent 23 minutes 32 seconds, on average, taxiing between gates and runways in first nine months of 2015. MORE

Nov. 18, 2015

Two Air France flights headed to Paris from United States are diverted due to threats telephoned to reservations center. MORE

Nov. 5, 2015

Volcanic eruption strands thousands of airline passengers on Indonesian island of Bali; hundreds of flights are canceled. MORE

Nov. 3, 2015

Dense fog across Europe causes flight delays and cancellations at airports in London, Amsterdam and Frankfurt. MORE

Oct. 9, 2015

Transportation Department reports nation's biggest airlines had on-time flight arrival rate of 80.3 percent in August, up from 78.1 percent in July; says consumer complaints rose to 1,633 from 1,107 year ago. MORE

Sep. 18, 2015

American Airlines flights are delayed for several hours because of computer connectivity issues; American says problem is fixed, but is still investigating the cause. MORE

Aug. 18, 2015

Commuters on New Jersey Transit experience extensive delays as train stalls in Hudson River rail tunnel and car catches fire inside Lincoln Tunnel; incidents, occurring at around same time, follow several days of train troubles in July that highlighted deteriorating condition of rail tunnels under Hudson River. MORE

Aug. 16, 2015

Federal Aviation Administration and airlines say automation problem at air traffic control center in Leesburg, Va, led to hours of disrupted flights on East Coast. MORE

Aug. 12, 2015

Sen Chuck Schumer proposes establishing nonprofit development corporation that will raise money necessary to dig new tunnels under Hudson River and to provide oversight of project; Schumer's suggestion comes at time of rising frustration over delays in rail service between New Jersey and New York, as well as debate over how to finance so-called Gateway project. MORE

Aug. 12, 2015

Budget carrier Spirit Airlines charts by far the worst on-time performance in June among 14 airlines, with just 49.9 percent of its flights arriving within 15 minutes of schedule. MORE

Aug. 11, 2015

Amtrak official Stephen Gardner warns New Jersey legislators at hearing that severe delays in rail service in Hudson River tunnels could become commonplace unless company's proposed Gateway project receives state and federal funding; project seeks to address doubling of cross-Hudson train commuters that is projected over next 25 years. MORE

Aug. 3, 2015

New Jersey Transit is absorbing cost for cross-honoring tickets for passengers amid recent string of service delays, caused by power problems on Amtrak lines, that started on July 20 and inconvenienced tens of thousands of commuters. MORE

Jul. 27, 2015

New Jersey Transit pre-emptively announces residual delays to Monday morning service, recommending alternative services; announcement comes less than week after NJT suffered three consecutive days of delays caused by electrical problems. MORE

Jul. 23, 2015

Commutes of tens of thousands of New Jersey Transit riders are disrupted for third day in row due to problems with electrical wiring in rail tunnels under Hudson River; disruptions underscore deficiencies in regional rail infrastructure and come on heels of major fare increase; many commuters place blame on failings on New Jersey Gov Chris Christie, who scrapped plans for new rail tunnel in 2010. MORE

Jul. 2, 2015

Strike by ferry employees in Europe is causing massive traffic jams that are giving migrants a chance to board trucks halted on roadways on French side of English Channel in efforts to smuggle themselves into Britain. MORE

Jun. 23, 2015

Dozens of LOT Airlines flights are grounded for hours, leaving thousands of passengers stranded in Warsaw's Chopin Airport; Polish airline attributes groundings to computer attack by unidentified culprits, and, if confirmed, would mark first time flights have been canceled or delayed because of hacking. MORE

Jun. 16, 2015

Kennedy International Airport plans to operate at almost-full capacity over summer despite major reconstruction project in which one of its four runways will be rebuilt. MORE

Jun. 3, 2015

United Airlines temporarily grounds all flights, leading to widespread delays; cites unidentified computer problem and concerns about dispatching information. MORE

May. 28, 2015

Investigation into power loss by A-line subway train in Brooklyn leads to discovery that at least 500 feet of copper cable had been stolen from tracks in dozen spots; theft wreaks havoc on morning commute and causes delays along line. MORE

May. 22, 2015

New electronic-messaging system, which has been tested at Newark Liberty International Airport, could reduce takeoff time for planes, ease delays and save jet fuel; system sends revised route data to pilots. MORE

May. 15, 2015

Deadly Amtrak derailment, and subsequent schedule disruptions along one of nation's busiest corridors, have forced travelers and commuters to come up with alternative plans; flights in region are packed with those who can afford tickets, which have become more expensive due to demand; others have been forced to drive or take buses. MORE

May. 14, 2015

Shutdown of rail link in Philadelphia due to train derailment and widespread service suspension leads to expanding travel headache as buses, airline shuttles and rental car companies are over-booked. MORE

May. 6, 2015

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio sends email to aides complaining about delay he experienced while attempting to ride subway to speaking engagement; complaint comes at time when city is under criticism for not allocating enough resources to public transportation system that has seen sharp increase in delays. MORE

Apr. 30, 2015

American Airlines reports delay of dozens of flights when software installed in iPads used by pilots malfunctioned, making some electronic flight materials, including airport maps, unaccessible. MORE

Feb. 10, 2015

Winter weather delays in current season have been centered in Northeast; between almost 5 percent and 10.5 percent of January flights were canceled at La Guardia, Newark Liberty and John F Kennedy airports; two storms that affected Northeast in late January and early February cost airlines $53 million and travelers $510 million. MORE

Jan. 28, 2015

Northeast braces for impact of winter storm that is predicted to bring hurricane-force winds and some two feet of snow, snarling traffic and forcing millions of workers to depart early for home; thousands of flights are grounded across nation and travel bans are instituted in a half-dozen states; New York City suspends subway and bus travel, as well as travel over some of its bridges. MORE

Nov. 12, 2014

Delays at West Coast seaports have held up shipments as longshoremen and shippers negotiate new contract; among delays is record apple crop from Washington State, planned for shipment to over 60 countries for holiday season. MORE

Oct. 10, 2014

Transportation Dept reports that flights on nation's largest airlines arrived on time 77.7 percent of the time in August 2014, down from 78.8 percent in same period one year earlier. MORE

Oct. 9, 2014

Energy boom that has American rail lines transporting more than a million barrels of oil a day is creating sharp increase in rail freight traffic nationwide; congestion is causing major delays for Amtrak passenger trains and holding up transport of vital consumer and industrial goods. MORE